Tape phonograph



July 4,1939. C W TZ 2,165,073

TAPE PHONOGRAPH 4 Filed Jan. 18, 193B INVENTOR.

- ATTORNEY.

0 WARD Scum .4 RTZ Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT oF-ncs .This invention relates to flnger'operated phonographs or talking. devices of the type shown 'in my prior Patent No. 2,042,736 of June 2, 1936, and has for its objects improvements in the de "vice there shown to make it more practical, ei-

' flcient and durable.

Other advantages of the invention will appear in the following description and accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved talking device shown with sound-box broken away to reveal the fastening means for the upper end of the sound record tape.

b0Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sound Figure ,3 is a top plan view of the sound box.

Figure 4 is an enlarged side view of the tape securing or anchor clip. Figure 5 is a, plan view of the clip of Fi ure 4.

Figin-e 6 is a substantially full size view of the thumb. clip shown in its relation to the sound record tape. 1 p Briefly described, the device comprises a combined packing and, sound box I, a strip of flexible-tape 2 bearing on oneside as at 3 transversely extended ridges or depressions corresponding to the record sound waves, and constituting the record. K

The upper end of the tape is secured by a metal clip 4 which grips the edges of the tape and projects downward out of a slot 5' in the bottom of the box I. The sound ridges or undulations are impinged by the rounding contact of aspring wire split ring or yoke 6 which embraces the thumb 1 of the operating hand 8 while the index finger 9 supports the back: or smooth side of the tape. In operation the sound box is held by' its edges in one hand while the wire ring on the thumb of the other hand is drawn down across the sound ridges, and which causes the sound vibrations set up to resonate in the sound box and be emitted loudly to the air, the bottom wall of the box forming a tympan. 4,5 The sound record tape may be of any desired composition such as Celluloid, Bakelite, semihard rubber, orthe various plasticsnow available, and is packed for shipment rolled up in r the sound box I withits clips 4 and 6 in an envelope together with suitable instructions for a setting up and operating,- or the instructions may be printed on the box as at II. The box, therefore, is of cardboard'or other suitable material, and is preferably square in plan as shown in Figure 3, 2 nd relatively thin as indicated in Figure 2, and is of the common folding variety with end flaps H, l2, l3, which fold into the box in the well known manner, indicated at the1right hand end of the box as shown in Figure 2, and

it should be so completely folded after remov- 8 ing its contents to form a proper resonating sound box.

, The upper wall of the box is punched with a round hole I4 directly above slot 5 of a size to pass anchor clip 4 after the same is applied to 10 the upper end of the tape, so that the tape may be threaded through the slot from above after the anchor clip isapplied.

The anchor clip .4 is preferably a small rectangular piece of tin or sheet metal bent V'shape 15 and punched with a slot l5 pointed at both ends asshown at ii in Figure 5 and of a length to snugly receive the tape 2 which has its upper end pointedor beveled off at the edges as at It and after inserting the tape and pulling the ta- 20 pered end through to the position indicated in Figure 4, the outer legs of the V are bent upwardly and inwardly to cause the sharp ends of the slot to dig into the opposite edges of the tape, andwhich effect is further contributed to 25 when the anchor clipis'pushed into the slot 5 of the box to seat it in position shown in Figure 1, so that the anchor grips the opposite edges of the tape without danger of ever letting go, or

- of breaking oil as it did below a knot which was 30 so that words and sounds will not be reversed,

and the extreme ends' of the V legsv are bent 8 to form laterally extending supports resting upon the upper side, of the bottom of the box as clear- 1y indicated in Figure l. V,

The thumb clip 6 is of spring wire of a size dap d o sp i e snu ly about the 'thumb as 111- In considering the folding box or sound box i 50 y it should be noted that its upper and lower face do not open but are permanently held parallel to one another as by glue, but that only the narrow ends open, and in fact one of these may be permanently glued shut, as it is 'only nec ry to open one end to get the tape and clips out from packed position therein. v

Having thus'described my improvements in a talking device 0! this kind, whatI claim is;

1. In a hand-operated phonograph of the character described provided with a tympan and -a sound-wave impressed record in the form 01' a tape, means tor anchoring the end of the tape to the tympan comprising a piece of sheet metal bent substantially to V form and formed -with a slot in, the apex oi the V into which slot the tapeis adapted toiit. said slot extending parallel] to the plane ofthe V and being of a size so that its edges impinge against and engage the edges ofthe tape against withdrawal of the tape when'the legs of the V are compressed toward one another;

2. In a hand-operated phonograph of the character described provided with a tympan and fit, said slot extending parallel to the plane of the V- and being 01' a size so that its ends impinge against and engage the edges of the tape against withdrawal of the tape when the legs of the V are compressed toward one another.

EDWARD SCHWARTZ. 

